


Perception

by anonymouslaser



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: And Failing, F/M, Fluff, Mistakes were made, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, POV Adrien Agreste, Playing relationship therapist, playing detective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-09-21 15:44:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17046404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymouslaser/pseuds/anonymouslaser
Summary: Adrien Agreste, with his new powers of perception, notices his best friend and girlfriend are behaving strangely. Maybe they're about to break up! He convinces Marinette that as their Official Best Friends, they must help mend Alya and Nino's obviously rocky relationship.With Cat Noir's luck, it goes as well as expected. But, spending lots of time with Marinette might end up being...nice.





	1. The Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien notices Nino and Alya are hardly interacting, and suspects a rocky relationship.

Adrien was worried. After surreptitious observation all morning, it was only getting worse. Nino seemed normal, but during each break he pulled on his headphones and tuned out until the next class. He just sat there with the music loud enough for those around him to hear and writing in a notebook. Was that a frown on his face? Definitely not a smile. 

Even Alya never attempted to talk with him. She was off too. It was subtle, but Adrien noticed she was more focused on taking notes than passing them with Marinette. Odd.

Were Alya and Nino having a rough patch? Maybe Nino did something dumb? Maybe Alya’s temper got the better of her? 

_ I need more info. _

 

***

 

Something is definitely up.

Immediately when the bell rang, Nino  _ again _ put his headphones on and walked out. Alya barely waved to Marinette before shoving her belongings in her bag and walking briskly out of the classroom. Adrien packed quickly also and turned to follow, but accidentally bumped Marinette on the way.

“Oh, sorry Marinette!” Adrien grabbed one of her pinwheeling arms and helped her back upright before she fell.

“You’re fine! It’s a problem! Uh, I m-mean I’m fine, no problem.”

“Oh good. Gotta run, see you tomorrow!”

“O-ok, bye!”

Adrien quickly left, leaving Marinette absently rubbing her arm where he held her, and wondering why he was in a hurry. Fencing didn’t start for another twenty minutes…

Adrien fast walked to the front door of the school just in time to see Nino and Alya heading out. They gave each other a half-nod before going in opposite directions.

_ Not good. _

Whatever it was, Adrien was thankful for his excellent powers of observation. Trying to figure out what object was an akuma in the middle of fighting for his life was paying off. Of course that would help him pick up more relationship cues.

Now that he knew something was off with both friends, he could do something about it.

But what?

***

“Hey Marinette! Can I talk yo you for a bit?”

Marinette whipped her head around to see Adrien standing over the empty seat beside her. Lunch went from talking pleasantly with Juleka and Rose across from her to full Adrien Panic Mode(™). 

“Bgah?”

Marinette and Adrien blinked several times, both trying to decide exactly what that noise meant.

Juleka reacted first. “Come on Rose, I, uh, want to go over our math homework.” Juleka and Rose gave Marinette encouraging smiles, a quick thumbs up to Adrien, and moved to another table.

Adrien gave the retreating girls a confused but relieved smile and wave before sitting down beside her.

Marinette wrung her hands in her lap and glanced back and forth between them and Adrien.  _ Maybe she suspects something already too. _

“I’m worried about Nino and Alya.”

Marinette’s face went through confusion to skeptical to incredulous within 2 heartbeats.

“Really?”

“Yes! I didn’t notice until two days ago but if you watch carefully you’ll notice they seem off. I’m worried their relationship is in trouble.”

Marinette’s left eyebrow disappeared up into her bangs. “Okay. So what makes you think that?”

Adrien was glad her fidgeting and stuttering seemed gone. It got distracting sometimes.

“Lots of things. Like I said, I didn’t notice until two days ago, but they’re hardly talking to each other. In fact, Nino is hardly talking to anyone. He comes in with his music going, and he looks...distressed? At least out of sorts. During breaks? Music. During lunch? Music. After school he just takes off.”

Marinette still looked skeptical but she was listening. Adrien pressed on.

“And Alya, something is up with her. She’s paying attention in class more and not passing notes as much with you.”

“How do you know that?” said Marinette with surprise.

“Uh, I have good hearing and I haven’t heard the papers being passed at least these last two days.”

Adrien was thankful again for his powers of observation. The miraculous must have some effect on him even outside the transformation.

“Well…” Marinette started uncertainty. “Maybe Alya  _ has  _ been more focused lately. I’ll have to think about this.”

“Don’t just think about it. Watch them this afternoon and see what you think.”

“You seem very passionate about this.”

“Nino is my best friend. And you’re Alya’s. As Official Best Friends of the couple, we’re supposed to help them if we think they belong together, right?”

Adrien suddenly rubbed the back of his neck and gave a little chuckle. “Isn’t that...how this works? I mean, this best friend...stuff?”

Marinette smiled. “Hm. Yes. Yes it is. You’re a good friend to care. But I don’t know…”

“Look right now. Where are they sitting?”

Marinette looked around the lunch area. She realized Nino was off in a corner, headphones on and writing in a notebook. Alya was in nearly the opposite side of the room, scarfing down food and reading their current literature novel.

Marinette narrowed her eyes then turned to Adrien.

“Ok, maybe there’s something there, but there may also be a reason. I’ll keep an eye on Alya this afternoon.”

“Great! I’ll talk with you after school.”

The bell rang, conveniently masking the noise Marinette made. Adrien took that to be affirmative, gave her a quick nod and smile and left to go to his locker.

Hopefully Marinette would agree to be his partner on this mission!

 

***

 

Adrien and Marinette hovered inside the front door to the school, just peeking outside as their two friends walked their separate ways. This time they barely nodded at each other. Adrien wasn’t even sure they made eye contact.

Marinette had to see it now! Maybe even more clearly than he could. After all, from behind him, she could observe them both in class. She would have seen any interaction between their friend that afternoon.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Hmmm” Marinette’s eyes were narrow again and her brow creased. “I admit they seem a little...distant? But I’m not convinced we need to worry yet.”

“Fair enough. Why don’t you keep an eye on them tomorrow and Friday. We can talk again after school then.”

“Oh, uh...you sound perfect! I mean, we should sound perfect then, I mean...ugh...yes, let’s talk after school on Friday.”

Adrien ignored the renewed stuttering and put his hand on her shoulder. “Great! I gotta run.” He turned and hurried out to the waiting car. 

_ I wish I knew what triggered her stuttering. Maybe if I spend a little more time around her my  _ paw _ some (heh!) powers of observation will pick up on something… _

He didn’t turn around in time to see Marinette absently rubbing her shoulder.

***

“Hey Alya, got any plans this weekend?” 

Marinette realized she had to ask quickly as Alya was practically packed up and walking away. 

“Yeah girl, I’m booked solid with babysitting and I have to get on that literature report due next week.”

“Well, text me, ok?”

“Sure!” Alya slung her bag over her shoulder and fast walked out of the classroom. Nino was almost right behind, though clearly into his music.

“Hey, Marinette.” She saw Adrien was already packed up also, though he had a confident look on his face. “What do you think now?”

“Let’s see if anything happens before they go home.” 

Marinette quickly packed her bag and they fast walked to the front of the school. They were in time to see them part ways with barely a nod to each other.

Marinette frowned and set her jaw, eyes following Alya as she walked toward home. “Maaayybe we should talk.”

Adrien looked around, then down at his phone. “Let’s go the cafe the next block over to talk. Coffee is on me. We can talk without all our classmates overhearing.” He glanced at Rose and Juleka who seemed to be looking at Juleka’s phone but were close enough to listen in. “I have some time before…”

“...Chinese lessons, yes.” Marinette finished his sentence for him. “Good idea, let’s go.”

Adrien was surprised she had that keen a memory and noticed enough to know that about his schedule. She would definitely be a help in getting to the bottom of what’s going on. As he was thinking this, his brain went on auto-pilot. For Adrien, to whom manners were reflexes, this made him automatically turn and put out his elbow for her to hold.

Marinette was still watching Alya as she looped her arm through Adrien’s and they both started toward the cafe.

 

***

 

They were halfway to the cafe when Adrien felt her suddenly tense up. Then she stumbled a bit, though he easily stopped and kept her upright.

_ Thank you Cat Noir reflexes! _

“Hey, are you ok?”

“Mmmmm” was the only answer he received. Her eyes were wide, starting at their arms that had just been intertwined, and biting her bottom lip. 

The realization that her friend was in a rocky relationship must have just caught up to her! Adrien quickly put on his Sympathetic Smile. “Hey, it will be ok. Don’t worry too much about Nino and Alya. I know it can be a shock once you see they’re having issues. I’m sure this is just a rough spot.”

It was at this point he realized he was holding her by the left hand and right elbow. And they were rather close. Too close according to his calibrated Politeness Meter. He suddenly let go and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, uh, sorry…” He then had his  _ second  _ realization: he had been keeping her upright. He caught her again by the upper arms and held her until she felt like she had her balance.

Adrien turned on the encouragement. “You and I made a great team preparing for the gaming tournament. We’ll work together to help them. Come on, let me get you a coffee and give you time to think.”

They walked the rest of the way to the cafe without incident, though not arm in arm. Adrien glanced at her hand as they walked, and tried to decide if it would help her feel better if he held it. 

 

***

 

They both nursed their coffee as they weighed their discussion. Adrien broke the silence.

“But you  _ are _ convinced something is going on?”

A pause. “Yes. Something, though it might not be a spat. They could just be drifting away. Or they talked and really think they each want to move on.”

“But they’re a great couple!”

“Yeah, they are. Alya is really into him. I think he’s good for her.”

“Well, Nino is really likes her. Did you see the video of Alya’s sister, Anansi as an akuma? Nino tried to fight her off on his own to protect Alya, at least until that new superhero showed up. I think we should do something to help.”

“All I’m saying is, you can observe all you want, but you don’t really know anything until you ask.”

Adrien had to admit she had a point. 

“Ok, I’ll talk to Nino and you talk to Alya.” 

“Deal.” 

They suddenly smiled at each other. Adrien checked his phone.

“Ah, I need to go. Can I walk you home? It’s on the way, well, the school is on the way, but your house is right there.” 

“Uh...sure, yes, I’d love to!”

“Great! I have a few ideas to run by you about what we can do if we still think they’re having relationship troubles…”

As they walked back, Adrien noticed she still seemed a little tense, but less so. Maybe his ideas to help their friends were helping her feel better.


	2. The Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroic relationship detectives try to learn more about their targets. Each has their own approach.

“Hey Alya, is this still a good time?”

“Oh sure. Little Charles is in bed and his parents won’t be back for another hour or so. I can talk on the phone for a while, but I do want to get some more homework done.”

(After the ten minute prerequisite grousing about school…)

“Hey Alya...are you ok? You seem really busy lately.”

“Yeah, I’ve taken on some extra babysitting. I wanted a little more income, so I’m putting my skills to use. Oh, did I tell you what little Adele did when I kept her?”

(A very funny story followed involving the toddler Adele, a piece of cheese toast, and the vacuum, but it took another 10 minutes to tell so we’ll skip it for now.)

“Hey Alya,” Marinette started, wiping her eyes that were still watering from laughing so hard. “I have to change the subject. How are you and Nino? With you being so busy, are you two getting to spend some time together?”

Alya pauses, briefly but noticeably. “Yeah, we’re fine. We’ve both been busy lately, so we haven’t hung out as much. And I’m trying to keep up with homework outside the babysitting. Our… oh I think I hear the family back early. Gotta run. Love you girl! We need to hang out sometime! Bye!”

Marinette wanted to dig further but it would have to wait.

 

***

 

Adrien and Nino were on the floor in front of the TV, each with a controller. Adrien figures partway through this level is a good time to ask about Alya.

“Dude.”

“Yeah?”

“Alya?”

“Mmmm.”

“Duude!” 

“What?”

“Dude?” 

“We’re good”

Adrien shrugs. “Ok”

“Hey, I only have 30 more minutes, let’s see if we can clear this level.”

“Let’s do it.”

 

***

 

“Kid, do you really think there’s something wrong between your friends?”

Adrien turned in his computer chair to face Plagg, who was in his usual spot on the couch. 

“Absolutely. They’re not acting like themselves either on their own or together. In fact they’ve hardly been together, from what I can see. And that’s apparently by choice.”

“Hmmm. You humans and your courtship rituals.”

Adrien snickered. “I suppose I have you to thank for noticing it.”

“Huh?”

“I’m more observant now that I’ve been Cat Noir for a while. I’ve been able to pick up on these relationship clues. And it’s great! I can use it to help my friends even without being transformed! I hope I get to stay observant like this about everyone around me.”

Plagg gave Adrien an incredulous look. “Uh huh, more observant,” he deadpanned. “At least that girl, uh, what’s her name, is willing to help.”

“Marinette is her name,” Adrien replied with an edge to his voice. 

“Ohhh, right. Marinette.” Plagg just smiled and rolled over.

“Come on Plagg, she sits right behind me at school. She’s Alya’s best friend. She’s so thoughtful of other people, smart, kind, creative, pretty, a good leader…”

“Uh huh. I see.” Plagg continued to smile and nuzzled further into the couch.

Adrien got quiet. His feelings were suddenly...messy. 

After a fairly long pause, Adrien replied. “She’s a good friend.”

“Good. Friends are important to humans.”

Adrien was working up a reply, but was interrupted by the Ladyblog alert on his phone. “Trouble at the Arc de Triomphe. Looks like an akuma! Plagg, claws out!”


	3. The Setup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes compare notes on their conversations with their friends. Also fluff.

Monday came and Adrien found himself lingering outside the school before the bell. The akuma attack yesterday wasn’t too bad, though he was still shaking his head over the villain’s theme. 

_ Weaponized paper clips could be surprisingly painful.  _

He felt the need to talk to Marinette. About Nino and Alya of course. Maybe he could invite her to the cafe for lunch and they could talk there. Maybe she would loop her arm in his again. 

To help her feel better about their friends. 

Yeah.

He made eye contact with her just after she crossed the street. She smiled a little and waved, tripped slightly, and came toward him. He gave what he thought was a pleasant wave back, adding in a Pleased To See You Smile.

“Hey, how was your weekend?”

“Uh, eh, Good. Mostly helping in the bakery and working on that literature paper.”

“Did you get to talk to Alya?”

Marinette suddenly became more serious. “Yes, did you talk to Nino?”

“Sure did. Do you want to compare notes over lunch? That cafe we went to has good sandwiches.”

“The cafe? Again? Uhh.” Marinette suddenly went fidgety.

Adrien found he was disappointed. He had to fix this.

“Oh, well if you want to go somewhere else or would rather not...”

“NO! Uh, I mean no, I mean Yes I would love to go for you to lunch...I mean...to lunch...with you.” Marinette shook her head and giggled a little.

Adrien gave her a Glowy Smile to put her at ease. “Great! We’ll talk then. We’d better get to class.” He turned but waited for her to walk with him into the school.

He noticed she only tripped once on the stairs. Clearly the trip and her stuttering accounted for the blush on her face.

 

***

 

Adrien’s mind wandered during history, and not just because his private tutoring had covered all this material. Nino didn’t seem worse, but he didn’t seem any better either. Nino spared a bare hour over the weekend for a gaming session. Not that Adrien’s dad would allow much more, but still.

The bell rang and by silent agreement they shadowed their best friends. Adrien watched as Nino pulled out a packed lunch and went to a quiet corner of the lunch room. Marinette saw her friend head for the library.

They met back at the front door of the school, and put their heads together.

“So, what did she do?”

“Alya went straight to the library with most of her books. How about Nino?”

“Same as usual. Well, the new usual. Headset on, notebook out, and a packed lunch.”

Both were lost in thought for a moment before Adrien started rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Well, ah, how about lunch then?”

“Ah, oh, yes! Still yes! Let’s yes! I mean, let’s go.”

Adrien turned and half stuck out his elbow toward her. Walking with her on his arm was nice. And he could catch her if she tripped. And maybe he could hold her hand.  _ Wait, what? Where did that come from?  _ Being the consummate model, he knew he had pulled off the gesture just halfway that allowed her to choose what to do. The Decision Pause time was almost up. Three...two...

Her arm was suddenly looped through his. 

It was nice.

They walked silently to the cafe, arm in arm. 

After they ordered, Marinette was the first to get down to business. 

“So you got to talk to Nino. What did you learn?”

“I asked how he and Alya were doing. He avoided the question at first, but I prodded a bit and he finally said that they’re doing fine, no problems. I dropped it at that point.” Adrien thought he felt something in his shirt pocket trying not to laugh. “I don’t think his behavior squares with what he says, though and he still spends almost no time with her.”

Adrien sighed. “What did you learn?”

“Well, Alya answered the same - that they were fine - but she had a pause, like she had to stop and think about it.”

Adrien leaned in “So…”

“I think she’s not sure what to say, like she’s hiding something.” 

“Hmmm. That’s pretty observant. Heh, with us both scrutinizing their relationship, They don’t stand a chance of hiding something from us!”

Marinette gave him an odd look, let out an uncomfortable chuckle, then sighed. After shaking her head quickly, she continued. “So, Let’s assume something is wrong between them. We don’t know what it is, so what can we do about it?”

Adrien leaned in further. “Even if we don’t know the reason, we can work from basic good relationship skills. So, what things help build a relationship?”

Adrien realized he didn’t have a good answer for that. He blinked, leaned back in his seat, folded his arms, and looked at the ceiling to think.

Modeling taught him protocol in many situations, but he wasn’t sure he knew much about building a relationship. 

Marinette spoke up, though her voice was quiet. “Alya and I spend lots of time together. We do things together like sleepovers. We talk a lot. Same for my parents. We live together, we work in the bakery together, we talk about lots of things.”

Adrien thought about his mom, about the trips to the zoo, about the time he got to be on set while she was doing a scene, about when she held him during the thunderstorm. He thought about Nino, how they talked and played games together. 

He thought about Chloe, and how they used to do some of those things, but they didn’t happen anymore.

Then he thought about his father.

His train of thought was derailed when he felt Marinette put her hand on his. He realized he had been quiet too long. And that might be moisture in his eyes. Must be dust in the air. His model reflexes took over; he quickly wiped the corner of one eye, pasted on a General Purpose Smile, and looked at her.

_ Slow breath. Make sure your voice will be steady.  _

“That sounds nice. I mean, yes those seem like good things we can do. For Nino and Alya.”

_ Another slow breath. Better. _

“But how do we get them to talk and do something together?”

Marinette looked at him for a few heartbeats. “Adrien...I know your dad is hard...and your mom...I mean...you know you have friends, right? Nino really enjoys spending time with you. And I...if you need to talk about...things…” she trailed off and squeezed his hand. 

Adrien felt that his public mask was oddly transparent. His smile relaxed into a small genuine one.

“Thank you, Marinette. You’re a...good friend.”

Marinette gave him a look he couldn’t quite understand, but she shook her head, patted his hand, and leaned back in her seat,

Her touch had been nice.

“To answer your question, we need to get them to do something fun together they both would enjoy. It may be a little silly with them already dating, but we need to set them up on a date! But what to do?”

“A concert? Gaming marathon? Picnic by the Seine?”

“Maybe, no, and good! A picnic is a little ordinary but that might be good in this situation. Now we just need a plan to get them there.”

By the time their food arrived, they were working on the finishing touches for setting up their already-dating-but-maybe-on-the-rocks best friends the following week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That last chapter was kinda short and I had this basically ready to go so...two for one sale on chapters this week.


	4. The Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has to shift his focus and see Ladybug is not a possibility.

Adrien sat in his desk chair. His computer screens all had their usual ladybug wallpaper. His ladybug poster loomed over the monitors from the wall above them. Several Ladybug figures and trinkets were on his desk. However, he was turned to the side, looking at his phone. He was flipping back and forth through three photos. 

First was from a photo shoot - one of the unusable pictures. He was front and center, but turning his head back toward a slightly blurry Marinette in the background waving at him. Second was the class picture from the park. That’s when Marinette worked so hard to break Juleka’s photo curse. He was right beside her. The third was a selfie - he was just in frame in the front, with Marinette, Nino, and Alya all in a row behind. They were seated, about to watch a performance.

“Hey Adrien, you’re low on cheese up here,” Plagg called from his tertiary nest on the balcony. After a pause, Plagg tried again, “Cheeeeeeese, oh pleeeeese!”

Adrien sighed, knowing a whole wheel was still in the small fridge.

“Plagg, did previous Ladybugs ever have relationships with Cat Noirs?”

Plagg peered down through the rail intently at Adrien, taking in the scene. “Sometimes.”

“D-did they reveal their identity?”

Plagg floated down to Adrien and rested on his phone.

“Sometimes. Before you go further, just know you’re in a unique situation. Yeah it could make some things, like your weird infatuation, easier. But a rogue miraculous holder is not normal. The moth miraculous is one of the most powerful and therefore most guarded, so for it to be loose and used for evil is...it’s never happened. This whole thing is more dangerous because I haven’t seen this before.”

Plagg sighed.

“Kid, you have to make your own choices,” Adrien gave a huff at this, “but you want to keep her safe, right?"  


"Of course, I _have_ to protect Ladybug."

Plagg gave Adrien a serious stare. "You take the hit for her. Without hesitation.”

“I always do. Only she can purify the akuma, so she's got to make it through the battle. Every battle.”

“I think keeping your identity secret, in this case, is like taking the hit. It's the hard thing, but ultimately it protects her. And you already know you want to keep her safe."  


“Yeah.” Adrien looked up at his poster, his monitors, the trinkets. His breath hitched. “Knowing identities could...as often as I've been controlled...it would be dangerous to know...but I _wouldn't_...but what if I did...”

Adrien’s face fell.

“And anyway, dating would be...how would we if we can’t spend time together and talk?” Adrien asked no one in particular. His breath hitched again, along with a sniffle. He felt something crumble inside.

“I’m going...shower...” he said vaguely.

He could have his cry there, clean up his face, and no one would know. It usually worked, so he should be presentable for his schedule this evening.  


Plagg sadly watched him go.  _ Hang in there kid. This will work out.  _

_ Maybe I can get my own cheese, just this once. _


	5. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette initiate their plan to get Nino and Alya's relationship back on track. 
> 
> It doesn't go according to plan.

Everything was going perfectly. He had coaxed Nino to the park by the Seine so they could toss a Frisbee for a while. It was a nice Friday, and Adrien knew they had plenty of time for the lunch break. Nino glanced at his book bag every so often, but seemed glad for the exercise. 

He and Marinette had seen little change in their friends, so holding the date seemed more urgent. Adrien made sure his model’s mask was in place, so he could concentrate on the mission at hand rather than his emotional mess. He concentrated on his Nice Shot smile (nice throw in this case, but same effect) alternated with Pleasantly Concentrated.  


They had only been throwing the Frisbee for a few minutes when Marinette and Alya came into view down the lawn of grass. Marinette waved and Adrien stopped mid throw to wave back.

Nino looked over his shoulder, and smiled when he saw both girls. 

“Hey you two!” Marinette called as she came closer. What a nice day, right?”

“Absolutely!” Adrien added loudly. “So, what’s in the basket?”

Marinette replied, also perhaps a bit louder than necessary. “Oh, this is a lunch my mom packed for Alya and me. Of course, she packs so much I’m sure there’s enough for you two to join us.”

Alya was rolling her eyes a bit at this point, but Nino seemed pleased.

“We would love to, right Nino?”

“Absolutely, dudes!” He grinned at Alya and she smirked back. “Let’s toss the Frisbee for a while to work up an appetite.”

“Perfect.” Marinette and Adrien said simultaneously. They looked at each other with a little cringe but the others didn’t seem to notice.

They tossed the Frisbee in a square a few times. Before one toss from Adrien to Marinette, he gave her a quick nod and she imitated the gesture back. Adrien threw the Frisbee too high and Marinette jumped to catch it. She caught it, but when she came down she cried out and held her ankle.

Adrien ran toward her, followed closely by her other friends.

“Ow, ow, ow!” Marinette appeared to be in pain.

“Marinette! I’m sorry, are you ok?”

“Ugh, I think I hurt my ankle.” Marinette looked around. “Adrien, maybe you can help me over to that bench. Alya, you and Nino should get the picnic out and start eating. We’ll be over after we look at my ankle.”

Alya rolled her eyes again but grinned. “Ok, if that’s what you want.” Nino looked a little confused, but decided to follow Alya’s lead and started unpacking the basket.

As Adrien “helped” Marinette to the bench at least twenty meters away, they heard Nino say “Whoa, look at all this food!”

Marinette made a show of easing onto the bench and Adrien gently removed her shoe to “inspect” her ankle. Marinette was facing their friends so Adrien had to rely on her report to know what was going on.

“How are they getting along?”

“Seems good. They have everything unpacked and are eating. They’re not talking much, but they  _ are  _ smiling.”

Adrien continued to rub her ankle to keep up the act. His mask was still in place but his feelings were a certified tangle. Keeping his mask in place on top of rubbing her ankle were not helping. He looked up and saw Marinette look away from him suddenly. She appeared to be blushing. He must have been making her uncomfortable by rubbing her ankle and was about to stop when she suddenly tensed and kicked at his hands.

“What’s wrong?” He said anxiously, shaking out his hands.

“Two dog walkers are about to collide! We should...oh no...too late. Ugh, they were both on their phones and not paying att..ahhh!”

Adrien’s eyes were glued to her face, hands back on her tense ankle, too afraid to turn round.

“Several dogs are loose.” Marinette sat up straight. They’re heading for…”

Adrien heard dogs barking and some shouting. Shouting that sounded a lot like their friends. He still held her ankle but had quit all attempts to rub it at this point.

“Oh, the picnic! They have the sausages! They tipped over the...oh not the...oh, oh, oh.” Marinette had a horrified look on her face. She covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide. 

Adrien heard the crunch of a basket, the growl of more than one dog, and a yell from...probably Alya though hard to say.

“Oh, they got his cap...they’re…” Adrien heard a ripping sound followed by more shouting, this time distinctly male. 

He didn’t think Marinette’s eyes could get wider, but then they did, as she gasped. “The brie! Not her hair! Oh no, it’s everywhere…”

Adrien felt a tremble in his inner shirt pocket. He wasn’t sure if it was from laughter or anger.

He heard a bit more shouting and the dogs barking but moving away. 

Marinette covered her eyes with her hand. “That couldn’t have gone worse.”

Adrien winced. She said the Words. He had been Cat Noir long enough to know something was going to happen. It was inevitable. Everything could only get worse now. He couldn’t bring himself to turn around yet to see what it was, but he would have bet the whole Agreste fortune on bad luck in that moment.

Just then the lawn sprinklers turned on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, chapter 4 was short and I was pretty much done with this, so I just published both.


	6. The Regrouping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The friends get together for some explanations. 
> 
> Most but not all is mended.

All four came back to school that afternoon in different clothes. A silent tension hung between them.

At the last bell, Marinette finally spoke up and suggested they meet at her house to talk. This was met with grudging approval only after the promise of leftover treats from the bakery.

As they silently walked outside, Adrien got a text. His face fell. “Nathalie must have told my dad. I’m grounded the next three days.” He looked up to see Gorilla at the curb, car door open. “Hey, uh, FaceTime me, ok?” He walked slowly toward the car. 

 

***

 

Marinette had propped her phone up on something so he could see all of them. He could see them eating eclairs, and glanced beside him at his four celery stalks on a plate.  _ Missing out, as usual. At least Nino and Alya seem to be in a better mood. _

He tried not to think about how the tangle in his chest made him tense. He put on a Contrite Smile with appropriate Head Tilt and decided that since he wasn’t eating at the moment (why bother), he would start. 

“Hey guys, uh, I want to apologize for today.”

Alya’s eyes flashed and she quickly swallowed her bite. “That’s a start, though that totally sucked.”

“Yeah dude, my cap is toast!”

“I’m still shaking water out of my ears!”

“Dude, I don’t know if all that dirt will come out of my shirt.”

“And it took me three tries to wash the brie out of my hair!”

Their best friends glared at them. Marinette brought her knuckles to her mouth and looked a little shocked. Adrien decided to try Contrite Smile, Level 2.

Nino cracked first. His stifled chuckle burst the dam. Alya joined in immediately. Marinette and Adrien joined in soon after.  


Adrien relaxed. His emotional tangle untied a bit with the release of tension. He didn’t let himself go like this very often, at least not as Adrien, but it was nice.

Through more laughter, Nino and Alya recounted highlights of what would now be called The Picnic Incident. 

Finally, They settled down enough for Nino to ask “By the way, what’s the deal with setting us up? I mean, we’re already dating.”

Adrien sobered up quickly and saw Marinette do the same.

Adrien went back to Contrite Smile and took it up to Level 3.

“Ahh, yeah, well, a-about that…”

Marinette cut in. “Are you two doing ok? Like as a couple?”

Alya and Nino looked at each other with wide eyes, then back to Marinette. Alya jumped in. “Yeah. You asked a few days ago and we’re good.” 

“Yeah dude, we’re fine.” Nino scooted closer to Alya and put his arm around her shoulder. She leaned in to him. 

Adrien started having a sinking feeling in his stomach. “But...you’re hardly speaking to each other. And to us.”

Alya sighed and smiled. “We  _ have  _ been busy. We’re both trying to make some extra money. I’m babysitting and Nino is, well, I’ll let him tell you.” 

Nino blushed and coughed. “I’m, uh, writing reviews for a music magazine.” 

Adrien and Marinette made eye contact, no small feat through FaceTime. Marinette looked as shocked as Adrien felt. He couldn’t keep up the Contrite Smile any longer and gave in to his surprise. He looked back toward Nino.  


“That’s great, bro! Wow, I had no idea!”

“It is pretty awesome! I get to listen to brand-new beats and give my opinion. And to do that, I have to listen…”

“Re-listen,” chimed in Alya.

“...to the back catalog for some groups. It’s been time consuming, but I get paid by the review, and it can't hurt the resume, right?”

Marinette was too far gone to filter out a personal question. “So what in the world are you pulling in all this income for?”

Alya and Nino blushed. “Well, my girl and I have our one year anniversary coming up in a few weeks, and we wanted to do something bigger than usual. So, she’s earning enough for our dinner date and I’m making enough for tickets to a concert.” 

“I can pull my own weight in this relationship!” Alya grinned and gave Nino a little nudge. “I admit we haven’t had much time together lately, but we get to text some and we’re looking forward to treating ourselves.”

Alya turned to Marinette and Adrien. “So you two thought we were having relationship trouble or something?”

Marinette glared at Adrien but remained silent.

Adrien’s brain was still processing. It all fit of course, as the truth does. The music and notebook, the brief greetings, Alya concentrating on homework, sparing little time so they could spend on each other. It really was sweet. And exactly opposite of what Adrien...knew? Adrien’s confidence in his observation skills had taken a hit in the last two minutes. Actually, a nuclear blast to the face. 

It didn’t help that Plagg was rolling around on his desk behind his phone, holding his sides, trying to laugh as quietly as he could.

Adrien sighed. He may not be as good at observation and detection as he thought, but he was sure the look on Marinette’s face was not happy.

He skipped level four and went straight to Level 5 Contrition, which can only be produced when genuine. 

“I’m sorry everyone. This one is my fault. I guess I saw things that weren’t there. I was worried about you two because I think you’re a great couple. Nino: I want you to be happy, bro. Alya: you’re a good friend and you’re good for him. Marinette…” Adrien sighed and glanced at her. Her Glare had reached at least Professional Level 3. Not good, but he had to press on. “I’m sorry I talked you into my weird theory.”

“Dude, we’re cool.” Nino gave an air fist-bump.

“You sheltered boy.” Alya shook her head. “Thank you for caring.” She smiled and leaned her head on Nino’s shoulder. 

Adrien looked at Marinette, but he saw no change. 

“Marinette, I don’t…”

He saw her hand snake to the phone and the connection was suddenly cut.


	7. The Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat Noir checks on an upset Marinette.

Adrien was left speechless for a while. He just stared at his blank phone. The feeling in his stomach was a ball of barbed wire. He couldn’t even get close without getting hurt. 

“Cat  _ freaking _ Noir. Master of destruction. Of course.”

He felt Plagg suddenly rest on his shoulder. After a moment, a small paw was patting his cheek. 

“On the bright side, your best friend and his girlfriend are good.” 

Adrien shrugged and gave a noncommittal grunt.

“You were doing what you thought was right.” 

“But it was wrong. I-I trusted my own brain too much. I charged in with an assumption that was wrong. Sounds like me, as usual.” 

Adrien sighed. “She must hate me now.”

“She’s upset and embarrassed, yes, but no one stays mad forever.” 

Something suddenly triggered in Adrien’s mind. “Uh oh, oh no, what if she’s akumatized! I think she’s the only one in our class who hasn’t been! Was she angry enough for that? Will she stay angry? I’d better go check on her.”

Adrien suddenly stood. “Plagg, claws out!” 

He didn’t get to see Plagg’s eyes roll as he was pulled into the ring.

 

***

 

The effort of swinging over the rooftops cleared his head a bit. He was able to concentrate on something he was good at. He knew the way and it wasn’t far. It was about sunset, and he knew he had to be discreet as civilians might spot him. He landed on a roof near the familiar bakery and saw his two friends (the ones who were definitely still his friends) just leaving, arm in arm. He thought briefly of being arm in arm with Marinette, but this made his barbed wire ball prick at his insides, so he pushed those thoughts away. He vaulted around rooftops in the area in a kind of loose perimeter for twenty minutes, waiting for the sky to darken a little more. When he returned to the roof across from her balcony, he realized he wasn’t sure what to do other than drop on her roof and knock. However, he was saved the trouble. Just then, Marinette opened the roof hatch, emerged with a mug in her hand, and walked to the rail of her balcony. She sipped her tea and watched the end of the sunset. 

She seemed calmer, but Adrien couldn’t let it go. He made some noise purposefully to get her attention, then vaulted over to her roof. He landed quietly.

She turned, a little surprised at first, but relaxed quickly when she saw him.

“Good evening, Marinette!” Adrien tried to give a signature Cat Noir Grin and Smooth Pose against the rail. 

She rolled her eyes a little but smiled. “Hello Cat Noir. What brings you here this evening?” 

He tilted his head, but kept his smile. “The last time we met out here on your railing, you were heartbroken and were partly involved in an akuma. I thought I should check on you.” The smile remained, but he knew some worry was in his eyes. She must have seen it.

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” She gave a small smile. “Actually, I was angry earlier, but I think I’m better now.”

Cat Noir smoothly perched on the rail beside her. “Purrhaps you want to talk about it?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Maybe.” She was quiet and Adrien channeled his patience.

“A friend of mine did something...dumb.” Cat Noir winced at this, but said nothing. “I know that’s harsh, but, it was. He sucked me into believing something that wasn’t true. In fact he was completely wrong! He read every sign he thought he saw incorrectly! And I followed right along with his plan to fix things that went...worse than wrong!”

Marinette turned toward Cat Noir, pinching the bridge of her nose. “But...I see where he was coming from.” She sighed. “He had some reason to think he was right. And I suppose how things went wrong wasn’t his fault.”

_ Not true, but I’m not going there. _

She looked up at Cat Noir. “I’m frustrated with him, but guess I…” she trailed off, then started much quieter. “I guess I went along with it too. I could have dug deeper into what was going on and helped him see the truth himself. He is a sweet...I mean...he’s a good friend.”

His tangle pricked his insides a bit more.

Marinette looked back out at the city. The sun was nearly down now. “I think I’m fine Cat Noir. Thank you for checking on me.”

Cat Noir knew that meant he was being dismissed, but he had to ask his own question.

“Marinette, do you think you can forgive him?” She looked at him and he could see the conflict on her face. 

“Marinette, I have to admit, that I did something stupid to a friend recently myself. It sounds like I’m on the opposite side of this from you. I apologized, but I think my friend is still mad at me. I know I kinda, sorta jump in to things before thinking. I do it with akuma, and I did it this time too. Maybe I can work on that. But, is there something you think that friend of yours can do to help build trust again?”

Cat Noir turned and looked at Marinette who seemed to have a mental struggle. After a few moments she sighed and looked back at him.  “If you did apologize, and your friend thought it was sincere, then you should give your friend a little time to process. Our emotions don’t switch on and off at a whim, they can take time to change. But, if you are good friends, I don’t see why you couldn’t reconcile. Give them a little time but don’t give up on them.”

Cat Noir gave her a small smile. “Thank you Marinette. Maybe I’ll check on my friend soon.”

“That sounds good. Good night, Cat Noir.”

“Good night, Marinette!” Cat Noir gave a gracious, if exaggerated, bow. “Looks like no akumas here tonight. Stay safe!” With that, he gave his two finger salute and vaulted back over the rooftops.


	8. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien tries to reconcile with Marinette. He might get it right for a change.

The Picnic Incident happened on a Friday, so the whole weekend had to pass (including his grounding) before Monday when Adrien would see Marinette again. He decided to listen to her own advice and give her space. 

It was good his schedule was packed. The modeling session all day Saturday had an exercise theme that wore him down as much as an average akuma attack. He was afraid his Concentrated Effort Smile would be stuck permanently on his face at the end of that one. He had his homework on top of that, plus weekend piano. He barely had time to think about Marinette. But think he did, whenever he had some idle moments. 

He thought about going to the cafe again with her. He thought about holding her hand. He thought about how great a person she was. He thought about how he was trying to give up on Ladybug in exchange for a chance at an attainable relationship. He thought about how he had sucked Marinette into a ludicrous theory about their friends breaking up that ended with a Cat Noir Cataclysm sized ruin. He thought a lot about the look on her face just before she ended the call. He thought about what he would say when he saw her. 

This planning ahead thing proved difficult. He was used to being handed a schedule and practically carried to each event. He had responses drilled into his head for nearly any social situation to the point where they were automatic.

_ Was it weird he knew what to say if a revolutionary barricade suddenly appeared in the street during an art gala? _

In his superhero life, it was Ladybug who had the plans and he followed. The thrill for him was in the middle of the battle. He knew if His Lady were under threat, he would immediately charge the danger and put himself between her and that danger. As for planning and strategy, that was Ladybug’s specialty. 

He sighed, finished brushing his teeth, confirmed his appearance was up to his father’s standards, and left early for school.

 

***

 

Adrien was waiting when Alya and Nino came in the classroom. He was glad, as he didn’t like being left with only his barbed wire stomach for company. They came in holding hands and smiled at him.

Nino gave Adrien a fist-bump after sitting down. “Hey dude! You have a busy weekend?” 

“Yeah, but it was normal busy.” Adrien tried for his standard Neutral Face but didn’t think it was successful. “So do either of you know how Marinette is doing? I think we got cut off…”

“And you were too chicken to call her back?” Alya replied, though not harshly. 

Adrien dropped his attempts at Neutral Face and simply put his face on his folded arms. “I guess. I thought she needed space or time or something. She hates me?”

He felt Nino put a hand on his shoulder. “Dude, she was livid!”

Adrien heard a  _ smack _ and turned his head to the side in time to see Alya withdraw her hand from the back of Nino’s head. “Yes, but she  _ did _ calm down. We eventuality got her laughing over the whole thing. On Sunday we got some good girl talk in and that’s always good therapy.”

Adrien then noticed Nino was wearing Backup Cap #3. “Oh, that reminds me.” Adrien pulled a new cap out of his bag and gave it to Nino.

“Aw, dude! Thanks! Right style and color and everything!”

“I guess I get some observations right,” Adrien said with some dejection. “It was the least I could do.”

Alya didn’t let the comment slide. “Adrien, no one is perfect! It is sweet that you were concerned about us. You really should talk to her. You both need to clear the air.” Her hand went for Adrien this time, but only to rub his shoulder. Nino gave him a silent fist bump, but Adrien heard what he was saying.

“Thanks guys.” Adrien looked down at his hands. “I want to talk to her and patch things up. It was...nice doing something with her, and we got to talk some. You know how she gets stuttery sometimes but she was a lot better when we were at the cafe trying to plan. And she put her arm in mine as we walked, and that was nice. And she’s so determined, and wants to help others, and is really pretty, and...” 

Adrien cut himself off when he heard a gasp from Alya’s direction. He turned and saw her cupping her cheeks with her hands, eyes wide and a big smile on her face. “You, Mr. Agreste, have a crush.”

“Uh, whuh?” Adrien temporarily lost all composure. He knew it already, but it felt more real for someone to say it. The shaking of the inner pocket of his shirt didn’t help. His barbed wire tangle may have grown.  


Alya continued without waiting for further response. “You  _ have _ to tell her. Not just talk to her, but tell her you’re crushing.” Alya gave a mischievous smile. “ I think you’re brave enough.”

“I...uh…” _So_ _ articulate Agreste. Pull it together. _

Just then the bell rang. On the very last ring, Marinette came stumbling through the door and practically jumped in her seat. Their teacher walked in calmly immediately behind her and called the class to order.

Adrien mechanically got ready for class and started taking notes. 

_ Alya thinks I should talk to her. What if she’s wrong? What if I push Marinette away? Why does this knot in my stomach make it so hard to think? Would it hurt Ladybug? Would it put Marinette in danger somehow to date regular me? Could she like me back?  _

Adrien realized his lack of observation skills was a sizeable problem for things like this. 

_ Well, Alya thinks I should say something. Who knows Marinette better, me or Alya?  _

At least that question was easy to answer. 

_ Well, I guess that settles it - I should. Am I really brave enough? _

A sly grin spread over Adrien’s face.

_ What am I saying, of course I’m brave! I’m Cat-Freaking-Noir! I can absolutely do this. _

Adrien thought for a bit, took a deep calming breath, then quietly reached down and dug in his bag and pulled out a small pack of post-it notes. He wrote “Can we talk? Cafe for lunch?” on the top one, peeled it off, and pasted it on the back of his shirt collar. He tried to make it look like he was scratching the back of his head, hoping to attract Marinette’s attention. 

The wait was excruciating. After an hour (28 seconds, according to most chronometers), he felt the post-it peel away. After another hour (34 seconds) he felt it reattach. 

He retrieved the note and saw a quick “yes.” He exhaled a breath he didn’t know he had been holding and relaxed. It took several minutes before he realized he had no idea what he was going to say.

 

***

 

The walk to the cafe was silent. In fact, they had hardly said anything since the beginning of the lunch break. Adrien’s nerves were on edge. He ordered who knows what and once the waiter left, he turned to look at Marinette.

He saw her quickly drop her gaze from him to her lap. His leg started bouncing of itself.

_ I’m Cat Noir...I’m Cat Noir…just charge in... _

“So, uh, about the whole...Alya, Nino thing…”

Marinette looked up with a little cringe on her face. Adrien just trailed off, distracted by...everything. His leg was bouncing like a piston. 

“I’m still sorry about the whole thing. I hate that I dragged you into my wrong theory...thing?”

Marinette sighed and hid her face in her hands. Adrien wised up enough to shut up.

“Well, I did go along with it.” Adrien felt a glimmer of hope.

Marinette continued. “I mean, you were right in a way, that something was different. You had incomplete information, assumed a bad situation was going on, and jumped in to try and help your friends.”

Marinette stopped, cocked her head, and had a small smile. “I guess if we were talking about an akuma attack, that might be a plausible strategy. Maybe.” Marinette rested her hand on her fist and looked a him. “But maybe with friends and relationships, just ask and trust?”

Adrien sighed and hung his head. “You’re right.”

Marinette reached out a hand across the table. He saw it, hesitated ( _ I’m Cat Noir...I’m Cat Noir… _ ) and held it with his. “I forgive you, Adrien.”

Adrien sighed and looked up at her. She was smiling. He beamed.

“Thank you.” 

Their food arrived and he let go of her hand with regret. Adrien discovered he had ordered a vegetable soup and some awful variety of tea.

Adrien tested the waters. “You have to admit the picnic is funny now.” 

Marinette looked up, tried to glare, but Adrien was too skilled to not see the laughter behind it. He chuckled first, but soon they both laughed. 

They discussed some of the particulars over lunch and hit at some point on “The Picnic Incident” as their reference for what happened. All too soon, the waiter returned to take their plates, including Adrien’s cold tea.

_ No time like the present, when she’s in a good mood. _

“Uh, Ma-Marinette...?” Marinette looked at him with curiosity. 

“Uh, I’m not sure how to say this…” 

Marinette immediately picked up a spoon and looked at herself. “What, do I have something on my face? In my teeth?”

_ I’m Cat Noir...I’m Cat Noir... _

“Nothing, other than two beautiful eyes and a smile I can’t stop thinking about.” 

Marinette dropped her spoon and stared at him with wide eyes. To be blunt, the line was a 4 out of 10, but it was so unexpected that Adrien figured he got at least some extra credit for that. 

Marinette barely whispered. “What?”

“I, uh, well, it has been really nice getting to spend time with just you. I’ve enjoyed it. A lot.”

He was fairly sure he had Marinette’s full attention at this point. A nudge from his inner shirt pocket reminded him to continue. 

“You said that some of the things that are good for a relationship are spending time together, doing things together, and talking. And, in spite of how it all turned out, I really liked doing all those things with you. I’d like to do more of those things. With you.”

Marinette put her hand over her mouth, though she looked like she was smiling.

“And maybe, that could be as better friends...or something...more? At least eventually?”

Adrien could barely look at her in the several hour (4 second) pause.

Marinette removed her hand. “Okay.” 

Adrien’s stomach suddenly unclenched. “Okay? As in yes? Or as in ‘I heard those words and acknowledge them?’”

Marinette’s grin spread quickly, reaching her eyes. “Okay as in yes! Yes to...all of that...me too...yes.”

Adrien had a storehouse full of smiles for any occasion and photoshoot. All degrees, sizes, occasions, and variants. He was fairly sure this was a new one. He held out his hand, and she took it. 

It was...nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear readers who actually finished this: thank you for taking a chance on my little story! I hope I brought a little pleasure to fellow fans of the show. 
> 
> While many stories go straight to The Kiss, the Love Square doesn’t have to resolve with an immediate kiss. Relationships take time and often start awkward. Adrien’s weird life experience would make it just more so, thus I stuck to his POV to make that point and for humor value. And coming up with official names for his facial expressions was fun.
> 
> I read recently there are three ways to interact with creative works: critic, curator, and creator. Being a critic is easy, but needed to help creators get better. Please leave any constructive criticism you have, so I can improve. Being a curator is a bit harder - finding the good works and building trust with others to point them to good things. For the works you find good (whether this one or others), give kudos and share. 
> 
> If you have an image or story rolling around your head, let it out! Create! Maybe it is terrible or only mediocre! So what! You made something, you tried creating. Learn from the helpful critique and get better. Rembrandt didn’t come out of the womb painting masterpieces. Do your bit to bring a little beauty, joy, truth, or goodness into the world.


End file.
